Internet Citizen
Categories: Internet Health IRL

Introducing IRL: An Original Podcast From Mozilla

94 responses

Let’s face it: our online life is real life. We walk, talk, work, LOL and even love on the Internet — but we don’t always treat it like real life. In IRL, an original podcast from Mozilla, host Veronica Belmont explores this disconnect with stories from the wilds of the Web, and gets to the bottom of online issues that affect us all.

We’re proud to announce that IRL launches on Monday, June 26, and that you can listen to the trailer on our Website or pre-subscribe now through Apple Podcasts, Spotify, RadioPublic, or wherever else you get your podcasts.

Here’s a sneak peek at what’s to come:

Mozilla is well-known for building products (like Firefox) that battle Big Tech. But what is lesser known is that — as a non-profit — we champion a more just, equal, and fair system for all. We advocate for citizen-centric internet policies all over the world, and we have teams here fully dedicated to empowering internet users to be safe and strong online. IRL is just one of the many efforts we are launching to equip internet users to keep power dynamics in check online.

Learn more about IRL at irlpodcast.org. Together, we can change the course of the Internet, in order to keep it healthy, weird, and wonderful for everyone.

94 comments on “Introducing IRL: An Original Podcast From Mozilla”

  1. Bill Moran wrote on

    It should be posible to search the web without MSN, GOOGLE and Bing taking over the search!
    They are far too nosey as to were you go and fill the downloads with pictures and items that they think you should like, even my local newspaper is becoming hard to read.

    1. Stelian wrote on

      How about yahoo?it gating old already how mozilla is not fixing the but in witch i can only get yahoo as my first search provider?

      1. M.J. Kelly wrote on

        Here’s how to change your search engine: http://mzl.la/1VShhHu

    2. sonny Sambucharan wrote on

      It is my choice that I like Mozilla, It is easy to use, even better than all other browsers but my God the page is so very slow to open. once I get around to get the page open, the page used to open with a number of my regular visited sites, now that is no longer accessible the mozilla browser was like a new machine pleasant to use and very likable. I cannot get it back to that state of effectiveness. AVG pop up message advices to disable Mozilla as it is producing too much load. When I really want the browser to open fairly quickly that is the time I have to activate other applications such as adobe for the browser to work properly, Make your browser user friendly and to retain the nice experience using Mozilla.

  2. ms vehs wrote on

    this is probably one of the healthiest concept solution for the world wide web ever i think that’s SUPER GREAT! 2 know ta ta 4 now 😉 m.vehs

  3. John wrote on

    Don’t know enough [yet] to make an intelligent comment.

    1. me wrote on

      Dear John, I seriously believe that is the best comment I have ever read. It completely occupies the void of restraint and turns on it self like a snake consuming its own tail.
      Thanks Dude!

    2. john wrote on

      Intelligent comment – that seems almost like an oxymoron. Rarely do you see intelligent comments to internet articles on sites like Yahoo.

  4. The Z wrote on

    Life can be hectic and fast paced, like the other IRL (Indy Racing League) – 🙂

  5. masodo wrote on

    Looking forward to this. I rarely take the Moz://a click-bait on the firefox start screen but this is a great idea.
    See ya next Monday!

    1. Michaela Smiley (Thayer) wrote on

      Thank you! We’re really excited over here, and are so glad you’ll be tuning in!

      1. DonB wrote on

        As per John above, I’ll know more later on, but for now, the concept is interesting. If it can remain politically neutral, it may be worth it’s weight in gold. We’ll see.

  6. susan wrote on

    still need help please

  7. Blast Dorrough wrote on

    Internet usurpers must be harnessed.

  8. Richard Trenchard wrote on

    Most ridicules statement I have ever read, internet life is real life. Internet life is why i am surrounded by morons in New York city starring at their phones while walking down the street. Internet life is why I go out to diner and the people in the next booth are texting to where ever and nobody talks to anybody because they don’t know how. Internet life is why people take their kids to some famous sight and the kids just stare at their phones. Internet life is not real life.

    1. Nathanael S. wrote on

      Completely agree. I hate this with all my heart.

      1. Md. Saif Uddin wrote on

        agreed….

        seems funny as can be seen in real life..

    2. Pepper wrote on

      Richard, I agree with you 100%. It is just another way of making the future generation more addicted as ever to the phones and internet for their socialization, and indoctrination. They no nothing about the world and it is very rude when people you are talking to you have their face down looking at the damn iphones. I do not want to be bothered with it!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

      1. nah fam wrote on

        Yeah back when you oldies were young back when kids could roam free and ride on dinosaurs

      2. Saleem Shah wrote on

        I support Richard Trenchard and Pepper. Internet life is not real. It is indeed virtual reality distorting the reality. Most of the social media helped the extremists and fanatics to promote there agenda. Likewise it helps governments to spy over its own citizens. It is helping the multi national corporations to promote their unwanted and dangerous products. Most of the time, internet is anti culture, anti human and immoral . However, there are some spaces and some people who are resisting its negativity. Among them Moziala. Telegram messenger and Jstore are a few examples. We should help , protect and support them. We cannot eliminate the net but could try to change it for our kids and future generations.

        1. Justin wrote on

          Thank you, Saleem. I am now looking into TM and JSTOR. Very useful and forward-looking post.

      3. Me wrote on

        You want to add a comment, but don’t know when to use “know” in a sentence????? That totally ruins the seemed intelligence of that person……. don’t you think?

    3. JP wrote on

      This sounds like a winner. My strong suggestion is that you leave politics out. We are are already bombarded by political theatre and it is past annoying.

    4. Smartass wrote on

      I find it funny that you know how to spell “indoctrination” but you DON’T know how to spell “know.”

    5. technology is slavery wrote on

      Nice to read an intelligent statement. The web and cell phones have created a virtual world for many on the planet. There should be more people like you who understands the consequences of living in a virtual hologram but looking beyond the social context you describe, there are also serious physical and mental health issues that are easy to search. I experienced a time when there were no such things. People were so happy to see each other when they did. It really meant something. There wasn’t even an answering machine. If you are familiar with Vygotski or Bronfenbrenner ecological and sociological theories that are still taught in colleges and universities today about the social effects on child cognitive development, you will see that technologies interfere with these natural developmental processes. The elite, ugly, old and powerful psychopaths on this planet are purposely stripping humans of these necessary developmental functions in order to control you. They create fear and division of people and families to weaken the unit and social structures making us dependent to their system. Eliminate the middle class and you have a society that cannot afford to travel to visit friends. They have succeeded and we let them. I do not respect anyone who supports this. I love what Firefox stand for in protecting our privacy but they just went and opened the back door to this infinite illusion. You are right….this is not real. Sorry Firefox but I disagree with promoting virtual media that turn people into morons. Now, all people have to do is not accept it anymore and make your own life. What a concept! 🙂

  9. الجزائر wrote on

    Nice experience

  10. Jacob Kinabo wrote on

    good

  11. Jacob Kinabo wrote on

    Don’t know enough [yet] to make an intelligent comment.

  12. human wrote on

    curious

  13. Ron wrote on

    John, you just did.

  14. Dirk wrote on

    IRL… Really??? Indycar Racing League … ever hear of it???
    must be that new math…( S M H )

    Big D

  15. Chezec wrote on

    I think this is a great idea and very healthy for internet users.

  16. MasTJ wrote on

    I’m glad to hear this news.

  17. John wrote on

    A new concept that will ensure a safe browsing – must be an improvement

  18. Jan Mohamed Shaikh. wrote on

    Good Idea !!! Lets watch, see and feel for ourselves on June,26th.

  19. slas wrote on

    hii

  20. Luke Marzola wrote on

    The internet allows a person to have control of what they say, (generally), and to have their views heard. The old media does not generally. And often restrict comment, that doesn’t suit them.

  21. Anonymous wrote on

    Despacito…

  22. iba wrote on

    good

  23. iba wrote on

    ok

  24. Jeanne Haas wrote on

    Now I want to be in charge.

  25. Jeanne Haas wrote on

    Now I want to be in charge. Jeanne

  26. Lawrence James wrote on

    I’ve seen the word, many times, but I don’t even know what a podcast is.

    1. M.J. Kelly wrote on

      Hey there, if you’re new to podcasts, think of them like having a radio show on-demand. Most people listen shows from their mobile phones or computers. The world of podcasts is rich with news, opinions, human interest, creativity and just about any topic you can think of. Anyone and everyone can make a show to express themselves, pursue ideas and teach others—kind of like how the Internet works.

      More info from Wikiepedia: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Podcast

  27. Peter wrote on

    This is tyranny repackaged. We want good citizens controlled by the internet. IMO

  28. Don wrote on

    “REFRESHED” Firefox this morning and look what I ran into!! I’m 75, minimally computer literate, but love searching on internet. This is fascinating to me. Don’t scoff, I try to learn something new for every day the MAKER gives me.

    1. Bonnie wrote on

      Yes, Don. Same age,75, and computer illiterate. I, too, learn something new everyday, but not from the internet so much as I do from the WORD of my MAKER’s guidance. Experiences come to me from being on the internet which I do only out of necessity of Being and just living and functioning in this world now….such as it just IS. Guess we all need to be more careful, as to what we allow ourselves to be fed, and by whom. Life is full, and every single moment of the day we are making choices; but still many are not aware of themselves, who they are and what they are doing. God Bless us all……that we may all KNOW and SEE, now what is our MAKER’s Best For Each One and All of Us…..sooner Now than later. Thank you Don. You are a Blessing to me, as well as an inspiration.

      1. Aaron wrote on

        As someone less than half your age, I salute you both. There are no perfect human actions; only those pure in heart. May your MAKER guard and guide you all your days, and grant you protection in this rapidly changing world from fear of the unknown, by whatever harmless means available.

      2. doonan wrote on

        And god bless America

    2. M.J. Kelly wrote on

      Hey, have you seen this article about one of our amazing theme designers, MaDonna? She’s 78, and totally kicking butt! https://blog.mozilla.org/internetcitizen/2017/06/05/madonna-firefox-theme-designer/

  29. Stephnie Clark wrote on

    I employ you all to clean-up your language. There are oodles of descriptive word at our disposal, we don’t need s…, f…, G..D… et cetera. Let’s be citizens of the world who thinking before we speak, please.

  30. Jay wrote on

    Anything one does in present time is “real”. Experiencing a podcast, texting, or just talking to a friend, The difference is how close you are to the source! There’s the rub.

  31. Damien Stoltz wrote on

    Nope. The trailer doesn’t make me want to watch. Good luck, what else you got?

    1. JANE wrote on

      Damian: Your comment was absolutely hilarious. Actually, who needs podcasts when you can read these informational and educational comments about it!! ……by the way i’m 73!

  32. Gideon Simwinga wrote on

    Am glad to hear of this great news

  33. Robert wrote on

    The ideas you impart will most likely be critical of how I appreciate internet. The production will be your forte, or not.

  34. Bipin wrote on

    good

  35. Sylvia Pesek wrote on

    Of course, internet life is real life, unless one enters some extra-dimensional state when using it, which, it might be possible to argue, some do. But the particular elements of one’s real life spent online, and the intersection of those sectors with the web, determine both the extent and depth of the amalgam.

    When one views the web as a resource, it is comparable to having almost every university and library in the world at one’s fingertips. People with whom we were formerly close, but may have become disconnected by time and space, can now be part of our lives on a regular basis again. How many clever “life hacks” have I seen that triggered a creative impulse in me?

    Those are all very much “real life” scenarios, and, I would argue, that the magnitude, proportion, and value of the internet’s impact on one’s real life is a reflection of the wisdom with which one chooses to implement it.

    1. janice baker wrote on

      All that I can contribute to all this is – for someone 80+ worked from 16 and still at the old grind- for houses demand one work in the end-even if its merely dust rag in hand and sweeper humming along the way to redistribute the dust and so on-even one person can make a holy mess just by living in a space!Basically, I need to ask what was the purpose of this exercise ? All I get is that we are all addicted to and attached to one of these machines- they are everywhere having taken over our lives until we are extensions of a machine in each hour we breathe on this planet.So we have all ended this exercise in communication saying 0 -Have a nice day !

    2. Perry wrote on

      Sylvia,

      Do you speak like that in real life? If your in an extra dimensional space…..
      is the internet with you? Calling me an amalgam really hurt……

      Perry

  36. Capt. Mike wrote on

    A good idea… A damned good idea!

  37. frank wrote on

    what a complete load of rubbish
    we do not need mozz://a trying to run our internet, it,s beyond belief that it,s putting out a complete load of nonsense on the start page ,leave well alone it,s only the starting point of a life without end? for some of us

  38. Donald R. Carlton wrote on

    I’m onboard and will give it a try. Thanks

  39. Andrew Speerschneider wrote on

    What about IRC how is IRC real life when no one even knows your name on there?

  40. Free wrote on

    What am I missing? Said the blind man. Gee, love the idea, thanks for the invite, but I get nothing. For all the fanfare, I thought I would listen to Veronica talk and see some streaming video. Nothing. A big blank space between paragraphs. Was that, maybe failure to launch, or another instance of equivocated geographic exclusion like I see every day from the Big Tech biggies you oppose like Yahoo and Monster? If you don’t know what I mean by that, let me write an article for you about it. Anyway, here from Puerto Rico: We got nothing!
    Thanks
    … Let me know if you fix it.

    1. Gal wrote on

      I’ve kind of noticed something. What’s up with that?

  41. Teacher Gerald wrote on

    Sounds good. The more we know the more we can be effective users of the internet and not the other way around. Some of the negative comments I’ve read above remind me of my parents forbidding me to watch the Beetles or Rolling Stones on TV (a long time ago). “Rock and Roll is destroying our youth” was the outcry back then. Onward through the fog.

  42. Bob Simpson wrote on

    Let’s hope that Mozilla employees know what fake news is, and where it’s coming from.

    Social Justice warriors and their ilk run on emotions instead of logic and data. They turned a nice patch of land in Manhattan into a waste dump requiring haz-mat workers to clean it up, after their “Occupy Wall Street” fiasco, which wasn’t even on Wall Street for crying out loud.

    Mozilla, no fake news and keep it fair and balanced. I’ll keep my fingers crossed.

  43. janice baker wrote on

    Doubt this is Moderation enough but So BE IT!

  44. It seems to be good wrote on

    It seems to be good

  45. Anil wrote on

    Looking forward to this concept still not know anything about it.

  46. Anil Chauhan wrote on

    Good……..

  47. Utura bululta wrote on

    Nice!

  48. aruna wrote on

    Good

  49. Mike wrote on

    RIP, internet. Hello, new cable channel. There is nothing anyone can do about it. The money has spoken. We have a new cable channel. It is called Netflix, Amazon, Hulu, or whatever. The previous comments only bolster this direction. Without rational thought or engaged citizenry, the next Internet will not survive either. It will turn into another entertainment channel.

  50. Andy wrote on

    Made me laugh. Trying to subscribe via Apple Podcast app on an iPhone results in ‘Cannot Verify Server Identity. The identify of “feeds.mozilla-podcasts.org” cannot be verified by Podcasts. Review the certificate details to continue’. Followed by “Not Trusted. Expired 12/17/16, 7:40:00 AM”.

  51. Sam wrote on

    The online realm is different than the physical world. We may use the internet, but that doesn’t mean that everyone else has to control themselves. You don’t want to deal with trolls, avoid the comment sections or mute people. Don’t turn the internet into another safe space when there are large communities who enjoy the organized chaos that is an uncontrolled internet.

    Also, your internet health report seems a bit of a misnomer. It does not cover any of the technical details such as spikes in attacks, backbone overloads, and other such information regarding the degree of function the internet is at.

  52. JANE wrote on

    Your plan for a podcast is secondary…… to the funniest, zaniest ideas and comments these people are making about “another store” in the “mall”……..your podcast…
    I just loved reading every one of their comments and would like to invite them over for an evening of having just a good time communicating as human beings! you know, real people, no planned agenda, nothing to buy, no strings attached good time!
    I’ll serve non-gmo, organic refreshments to everyone!

  53. rollin wrote on

    Online life is real life?

    I’m reminded of that Ted Koppel said, “the Internet……is also a weapon of mass destruction.”

    Go guess you’re right………online life IS real life.

  54. Chase wrote on

    I’ll be listening.

  55. Giuseppe D’Addetta wrote on

    I found a job thanks to internet

  56. Win Maw wrote on

    Very Happy

  57. Win Maw wrote on

    Good Ideal

  58. mr. raju wrote on

    it is far better to see on any time any place.

  59. RedHotMonkyButt wrote on

    Initial observation: IRL is an acronym for the Indycar Racing League. Of course, Indy car racing has been around quite a bit longer than even the Internet, so I see possible conflict, trademark issues there.

    I find the subject matter interesting being an application developer myself and a parent.

    I agree with the other comments regarding absence of politics and personal agendas.

    Leave it advertising free and pressure from sponsorship will be non sequitur.

  60. sayajirao gaikwad wrote on

    NEW THOUGHT

  61. James D Graham wrote on

    Well Done!

  62. Layne Kent wrote on

    I remember when the search engine Google had it’s start in asking for collaborative effort and contribution to create the World Wide Web’s card catalogue of the Internet Library and was asking for whoever world help make entries like Wikipedia. At least I think that was the forerunner of the Google. Before “web crawlers” were employed. Anyone else remember that?

  63. Sr. Ramon J. Conde Velez wrote on

    W/ the birth & creation of this powerful tool “The Internet” we are able to reach anyone & everyone on a global scale. This being said we owe it to future generations to protect it from evil & although it has its issue we need to keep the pressure on our elected officials, etc. to pass policies that will harness greatness in its on-going saga of being just that more great & beautiful again.

  64. Vern Smith wrote on

    You hereby present this new feature in an all inclusive manner. The facts. Testing your political standing which most likely is 90% Democratic and 10% Republican. That determines your stance on everything.But, but we are going to be different. Sure you are. Here’s the catch. 50% of your users are Democrat, 50% are Republican. Yet you are going to shut out 50% of your ability to appeal to the masses. It’s like a Republican getting his directions politically from the New Yorker magazine. Which is 99.9% left, and far left in its articles, and many of them made up to appeal to the left only. To overcome this slant yourself you will actually have to hire some dreaded Republicans, and allow your organization to become 50/50 in how it runs its reports and newsworthy editions online. But, you will not do that, because it would nearly kill you to have to do. You know it, your public knows it.

    If you actually did it and didn’t lie about it. You would have instant success from segment, that in your circles we just can’t take on board. Fair and honest broadcasts create success beyond your wildest dreams business-wise. Look at Fox News. Sure they fired a couple of people but they attempt to present both sides.And they have more viewers that most of the other networks put together. You ask for opinions, and I suggest mine will be a laugh-fest. But the last laugh will be the true business people that know what you should have done and didn’t. Don’t be a total failure like talk radio for democrats. It failed miserably. We’re just asking for 50% of your presentations to be Conservative causes, the demeaned sleeping giant out there. Think about that.

  65. Fred Fruest wrote on

    Online life is not 100% real life. Millennials may think otherwise, but this Gen-X’er knows the truth! I remember the days before “social media” became a mainstream term. People use to refer to it as online profiles with various websites. I remembmer when my friend used an image of a male model for his profile pic and I thought that was cheating or illegal or something. Nope it was perfectly fine because nobody knew who you really were in those days. Nowadays youngin’s call that catfishing or something. I think catfishing is different because you are intending to fool a specific someone, where as, being safe online and not giving out all your personal info and using pics of say yer pets or someone else or your online persona isn’t really the same thing. If you’re smart you would never make a profile with yer real name or real name associated email. You’d never post pics of your yourself, yourself with your friends or their names. To easy to hack you. but then again most people aren’t that smart, which is why wifi hot spots are easy pick’ns for hackers.

  66. nem wrote on

    love it!

  67. stev wrote on

    internet life is totally not real

  68. Sam wrote on

    Please add a link to the RSS or Atom feed on the website; I don’t want to get another app for just this one podcast.